Winter storm canceling trains, flights in NJ

By DAVID PORTER, Associated Press

Friday, February 8, 2013

NEWARK (AP) — A massive snowstorm began to unleash its full fury on New Jersey Friday, playing havoc with roads, rails and airports and prompting Gov. Chris Christie to urge people to stay off the roads. Areas in the northeastern part of the state were expected to get a foot or more of snow as the storm intensified overnight.

“Stay home, avoid unnecessary travel; if you have to drive, be smart and be careful,” Christie said at an afternoon news conference. “We’re prepared to make the bridges and the roadways passable, but we’re urging people to stay home.”

Christie said the speed limit on Interstate 95 north of Newark was reduced to 45 mph. He said the state department of transportation had 3,000 trucks ready to deploy.

New Jersey Transit suspended rail service on its Morris & Essex, Montclair-Boonton and Midtown Direct lines as of 8 p.m. It suspended all bus service north of Interstate 195. The trains will be suspended through Saturday and the buses indefinitely, the agency said.

Rain in some areas and a wintry mix in others early in the day changed to snow by early afternoon. In Newark, where Mayor Cory Booker told residents to prepare for widespread power outages, freezing rain fell in late morning but soon changed to snow and fell steadily throughout the afternoon.

At the shore, some towns urged the evacuation of barrier islands. Brick Township and Toms River issued voluntary evacuation orders for areas still recovering from Superstorm Sandy more than three months ago.

Parts of the coast were expected to see waves up to 12 feet and minor to moderate flooding during high tide. Toms River emergency management director Paul Daley said it is “very likely” some areas in the township may flood, including land near the Barnegat Bay. Those areas have become more prone to flooding since Superstorm Sandy struck in late October.

A blizzard warning was posted for northeast New Jersey, calling for up to 14 inches of snow. Up to 10 inches was forecast for central and northern areas of the state and 2 to 5 inches for south Jersey.

The big storm was having a big impact on air travel. Newark Liberty International Airport was one of the airports in the Northeast with the most cancellations, according to airline tracking website FlightAware.

Many schools in the state dismissed students early as conditions were expected to deteriorate as the day went on.

The blizzard zone included the state’s largest city, Newark, with a population of over 275,000.

Booker urged residents to make contingency plans because of the likelihood of widespread power outages. He compared the coming storm to a late October 2011 storm that dumped heavy snow and felled trees and power lines, causing major outages.

He told residents to prepare for the storm as if they were preparing for Superstorm Sandy, and to help the most vulnerable.

“Today, one of the biggest things you can do is a small act of kindness,” he said. “Make sure that you have communicated with the elderly, sick or shut-in. We don’t want to lose anyone at all in the city of Newark to this storm, and we won’t have to if we all stick together and look out for one another.”